Sheet-handling machinery



June 20, 1939. w KELLY SHEET-HANDLING MACHINERY Original Filed July 9,1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l June 20, 1939. w M KELLY 2,163,492

SHEETHANDLING MACHINERY Original Filed July 9, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Laf 9% TM MM Patented June 20, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE July 9,1937.

This application December 21, 1938, Serial No. 247,113

6 Claims. (Cl. 271-62) This invention relates to the feed mechanisms ofvarious kinds of sheet handling machines and particularly to sheetprinting or processing machines employing means at one end thereof forautomatically feeding a pile of paper into position to be fed into andthrough the machine, and with means at the other end for delivering thepaper onto a delivery table, and the object of the invention is toprovide in combination with means for automatically raising the paper orworksheets at the feed end of the machine, means at the delivery endthereof in operative engagement with said feed actuating mechanism forlowering the delivery table to accommodate the delivered sheets; afurther object being to provide a coupling between the feed and deliverytables, maintaining said operation wherein the coupling and linkage orleverage between the two mechanisms are normally in engagement, but insome cases are detached one from link or coupling members may besubjected in the operation of moving a swinging delivery table from anopen to a closed position; a further object being to provide a linkageand coupling between the feed and delivery tables of a machine of thekind under consideration wherein a direct mechanical positive couplingis provided between said mechanisms and at the same time the desiredresult is accomplished by a simple and economical construction; and withthese and 5 other objects in view, the invention consists in anapparatus of the class and for the purpose specified, constructed asmore fully hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the follow- 40 ing specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate partsof my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters ineach of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a press showing only a part ofthe, construction with parts broken away and in sections and showing myinvention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view diagrammatically illustrating one end portion ofthe press.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the construction shown inFig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the 6 parts in a differentposition.

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 on an enlargedscale, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the construction shown inFig: 5.

For the purpose of illustrating one method of carrying my invention intoeffect, I have diagrammatically illustrated in the accompanying drawingat l0 part of the frame of a press within which is the usual oranydesired printing mechanism H to which sheets of paper, or other matterto be printed, are fed along a feedboard l2 and from which the same ispassed to a gripper I3 and stripper l3a for transmission to deliverytapes M for delivering the printed sheets onto suitable deliverymechanism, later de scribed.

At one end of the press is a feed mechanism consisting of a carriage l5movable vertically in the frame i0 and carrying a feed table I6 uponwhich the paper or other sheets H to be printed are adapted to be piled.Suction feed wheels l8 are arranged upon a shaft IS in the upper end ofthe frame and are adapted to engage the uppermost sheet of the pile forfeeding the same onto the feedboard l2. Resting upon the top of thepaper stack I1 is a feeler finger 20 coupled with the free end of an arm2| which is secured to a shaft. 22. Secured to the shaft 22 is a crank23 carrying an upwardly extending link 24 which engages a latch 25pivoted to the upper end of. the frame as seen at 26 and having adjacentits free end a latch element 21 adapted to cooperate with a pin 28.

The pin 28 is secured to a lever 29 pivoted to the frame as seen at 30.The lever 29 is provided with three angularly extending arms, onecarrying a roller 3| adapted to cooperate with an eccentric or cam 32 onthe shaft I9, whereas another arm has the pin, 28 thereon, and also alink 33 is coupled therewith, the latter also being coupled with an arm34 mounted on a shaft 35. On the shaft 35 is a ratchet 36 adapted to beengaged and operated by a pawl 31 pivoted to the arm 34. A spring 33a iscoupled with the link 33 and with the frame in such manner as tonormally hold the lever 25 or the roller 3| thereof in engagement withthe cam 32, a slight engagement being maintained to permit free movementof the latchv element 21 relatively to the pin 23 as the link 24 ismoved upwardly;

The shaft 35 is geared to a shaft 38 arranged thereabove by suitablegears as is indicated at 39, note Fig. 2 of the drawings. On the shaft38 adjacent each side of the press are sprockets 40, over which chains4|, indicated by dot and dash lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, areadapted to pass, the ends of the chains being coupled with the sides ofthe carriage l6 as seen at 42. One end portion of the chain passesaround an idler 43 arranged in the frame, so that intermittent rotationof the shaft 38 through the pawl 31 and ratchet 36 will cause thecarriage I5 including the table l6, to be raised in the frame. I

A lever 44 is pivoted to the frame l0 adjacent the feed mechanism and iscoupled with the third arm of the lever 29 through a connecting rod 45.Mounted on the pivot of the lever 44 is another operating lever 46coupled with the lever 44 through a resilient coupling yoke 41 havingnor mally equalized pressure on the lever 44, but it is designed to takeup and compensate for any, sudden shock to which the lever 46 may besub- I jectecl, especially in the operation of moving a swingingdelivery unit or mechanism 49 from an open to a closed position.

Means is provided at one side of the press, below the path of the sheetspassing through the press for operating a delivery pile loweringmechanism from the feed pile elevating mechanism. For this purpose a rodor link 48 extends from the lever 46 to one arm 50 of a lever pivoted tothe other end portion of the frame, the upper arm 5| of said lever beingadapted to be engaged by a bellcrank 52 pivotally mounted in a frame 53of the delivery mechanism 49, so that the bellcrank 52 is free to swingtoward and away from the lever end 5|, as well be apparent. The deliveryframe 53 is arranged on suitable pivots to swing the entire deliverymechanism and associated parts toward and from the delivery end portionof the press. A link 54 is coupled with the free end of the bellcrank 52and is coupled with another bellcrank 55 arranged upon a shaft 56, thebellcrank having a pawl 51 engaging a ratchet 58 on the shaft 56 so asto rotate said shaft, the shaft carrying at its inner end a worm 59engaging a worm wheel 60 mounted on a shaft 6|.

Arranged upon the end portions of the shaft 6| are doubble pulleys ordrums 62 around which hoisting cables 63 and 64 are passed, the freeends of said cables being coupled with a de-- livery table 65 afterpassing around suitable idler or guide pulleys as seen in Fig. 1 of thedrawings. The delivery table 65 is guided in the swinging frame 53 bysuitable upwardly and downwardly extending rods 66 and 61. A hand crank68 is also provided at the outer end of the shaft 56 by means of whichthe table 65 may be raised and lowered, as will be apparent.

At 69 I have shown a latching element pivoted to the frame 53 andadapted to engage a. suitable catch device 10 on the main frame insupporting theswinging frame 53 in closed or operative position.

A spring H is employed for supporting the bellcrank 52 in constantengagement with the lever 5| when the delivery table is in its normalposition.

The operation of my improved synchronized operation of the feed anddelivery mechanism of the printing press will be readily understood fromthe foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the following statement.

It will be understood that the feed table IE will be normally moved intolowered position thereof to suit a given pile or stack of worksheets l1,and the delivery table 65 will be moved into its raised position. In theoperation of the press, the sheets will be delivered one at a time mostsheet.

by the suction wheels l8 into and through the press and then transmittedto the delivery table 65 through the mechanisms l3 and I4.

At the beginning of this operation, the parts 25 and 29 are in theposition shown in Fig. 3, in which position the roller 3| clears theeccentric 32 and is held in this position by the latch21'of the arm 25which engages the pin 28. As a predetermined number of sheets aredelivered from the top of the pile into the press, the finger 26gradually lowers by gravity to maintain a constant engagement with theupper- This downward movement gradually raises the arm 25 through thelink 24 until the latch 21 disengages the pin 28 which will permit themovement of the arm 34 and pawl 31 from the position shown in Fig. 3 tothat shown in Fig. 4, stepping the pawl back at least one notch on theratchet 36. Then as the cycle of the eccentric 32 is completed, the arm34 will be moved forwardly to return the parts to the position shown inFig. 3 and to relatch the lever 29, during which operation the table I6has been raised by the rotation of the sprockets 40 on the shaft 38driven from the shaft 35 through the gears 39 and through the chains 4|employed.

In the above operation of the lever 29, the ratchet 58 is also operatedto correspondingly lower the table 65 by means of the connection 44, 45,46, 48, 50, 5|, 52 and 54, 55, and 51.

In the last mentioned operation it will be understood that the lever 5|is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 1, which movement operates thebellcrank 52 which draws the rod 54 downwardly, and the shaft 56 isrotated a partial revolution by the pawl 51. In rotating the shaft 56,the worm 59 is rotated and thus the shaft 6| is rotated through the wormwheel 60 to release the cables 63, 64 and allow the table 65 to drop adistance equal to or substantially equal to, the raising of the tablel6. A split bearing 56a is provided for engaging the shaft 56 to applyfriction thereto to check sudden dropping of the table 65.

By providing a free separable coupling between the parts 5|, 52, thedelivery table 65 together with its associated parts supported inconnection with the frame 53, may be swung on the pivot 530, note Fig.5, to give free access to the printing form resting on the bed of thepress.

The feeler 26 is provided with an elongated slot 2|la through which thereduced end 2|a of the rod 2| passes, and a nut 2 lb is in threadedengagement with the reduced end 20a to adjustably support the feeler 20with respect to the uppermost sheet as will be seen upon a considerationof Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. This construction insures the propermovement of the latch arm 25 to regulate the intermittent upward feed ofthe table |6.

This application is a continuation of my prior application Serial No.152,721, filed July 9, 1937, Sheet handling machinery.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A machine of the character described, including in combination, avertically movable feed table disposed at one end of the machine, adelivery table at the other end thereof, said delivery table beingmounted to move toward and from the last named end of the machine, meansconstituting a part of said movable delivery table for lowering saidtable, a driving means Gil between said feed table and said deliverytable disposed at an elevation below the path of the sheets through thepress, and means for raising the feed table intermittently to compensatefor the removal of worksheets therefrom, said driving means includingaseparable coupling for substantially synchronizing the relative raisingand lowering movements of the feed and delivery tables.

2. A machine of the character described, including in combination, avertically movable feed table disposed at one end of the machine, adelivery table at the other end thereof, said delivery table beingmounted to move toward and from the last named end of the machine, meansconstituting a part of said movable delivery table for lowering saidtable, a driving means between said feed table and said delivery tabledisposed at an elevation below the path of the sheets through the press,means for raising the feed table intermittently to compensate for theremoval of worksheets therefrom, said driving means including aseparable coupling for substantially synchronizing the relative raisingand lowering movements of the feed and delivery tables, said freecoupling comprising levers normally arranged in abutting relation toeach other, and one of said levers being supported on and movable withthe frame of said movable delivery table.

3. In combination with feed and delivery tables for printing presses,automatically actuated means for intermittently raising the feed table,means in operative engagement with-the first named means forautomatically lowering the delivery table to compensate for the raisingof said feed table, direct mechanical couplings between the first andsecond named means, said couplings comprising rods, links, and levers,disposed at an elevation below the path of the sheets through the pressbetween the feed mechanism at one end of the press and the deliverymechanism at the other end of the press, the delivery table being freeto swing toward and from the end of the press, and two of said leversbeing disposed in abutting relation to each other but free to be movedone from the other in the swinging movement of the delivery table.

4. A delivery mechanism for printing presses comprising a table mountedto move vertically at one end portion of a press, means involving alet-oil? mechanism for lowering the delivery table intermittently as theworksheets are placed thereon, an automatic feed mechanism at the otherend of the press, means coupled with said first named means located atan elevation below the path of the sheets through the press and having aseparable coupling operatively connected to said feed mechanism forlowering the delivery table consistent with the automatic action of saidfeed mechanism, said delivery table and associated parts being mountedon a frame pivotally supported in the press frame to swing toward andaway from one end of the press to give access to said end of the press.

5. In combination with feed and delivery tables for machines of thecharacter described, automatically actuated means for intermittentlyraising the feed table, means in operative engagement with the firstnamed means for automatically lowering the delivery table in the raisingof said feed table, direct mechanical couplings between the first andsecond named means, said couplings comprising rods, links, and leversdisposed between the first and second named means, and a yieldableelement between predetermined links and levers for preventingtransmission of shock from the mechanism of one means to the mechanismof the other means.

6. In combination with feed and delivery tables for machines of thecharacter described, automatically actuated means for intermittentlyraising the feed table, means in operative engagement with the firstnamed means for automatically lowering the delivery table in the raisingof said feed table, direct mechanical couplings between the first andsecond named means, said couplings comprising rods, links, and leversdisposed between the first and second named means, a yieldable elementbetween predetermined links and levers for preventing transmission ofshock from the mechanism of one means to the mechanism of the othermeans, said delivery table being movable toward and from the machine,and means forming a free coupling between the two of the levers adjacentsaid delivery table.

WILLIAM M. KELLY.

